The Portland daily press., 1887-09-20
ENcLAND'S ALARM.
An M. P.'s Reason for Opposing the
Channel Tunnel Scheme.
Letter to London Times. I

NO one can imagine that those who oppose
this project can be actuated by any other
motive than the desire to obviate possible
danger 10 the country. The matter therefore
resolves itself into question between the in
terests of aprivate company on the one hand
and the interests of the people Of England on
the other. l will endeavor in few words
to explain what is the nature of the danger
that may be apprehended if the project
should be executed.
Nobody doubts. except perhaps few fan
atics, that under certain conditions the invas-
ion of this country is possible. If that event
were to take place at present, when there is
no tunnel, the invading army, with all its
enormous trains of artillery, transport and
supplies, must be conveyed across the sea:
and to collect fotilla equal to the work
would task the resources of the greatest Pow
ers. The case of invasion has been carefully
considered among us, and the conclusion ar
rived at is that the army which could thus be
thrown ashore, formidable as it might, and
indeed must, be in order to attempt such an
enterprise, would, yet not be of magnitude
which it would be beyond our means to en-
counter with fair assurance of success.
Moreover, the invading army could never be
free from the anxiety of expecting that we
might regain the command Of the Channel
which, need hardly say, must have been
lost by us for the moment In order to render
invasion possible and that it would thus be
severed from its own shores, and thrown for
its resources on what il could obtain here.
These considerations would be carefully put
in the balance by the hostile Government
when decided on the question Of invasion.
/ will now take the other case. / will sup
pose that an invasion should take place after
the making of the tunnel-that Is to say,
when there is a great highway between
France and England, the possession of both
ends of which would render the invader in
dependent Of the sea. OF course we hear it
insisted on that we could always prevent the
enemy from using the tunnel, either by par
TALLY or completely destroying it. Now, that
work OF this extensive character, involving
such labor and such expenditure, should be
absolutely and permanently destroyed, pos
sibly on false alarm, Is what / refuse to be-
lieve. l do not believe that shareholders
would be found to join in an undertaking
that might be liable to such a catastrophe.
l therefore dismiss the question of complete
destruction, and assume that either our end
Of the tunnel would be blocked or some par
tial destruction would be resorted to. Now,
there are many parts Of our southern coasts
where large forces could be thrown ON shore,
under cover Of the fire Of their warships, su-
perior to what we could at the moment as
semble, and, therefore, secure of possessing
themselves of a certain area beyond the i'm
mediate landing place.
If they were thus landed at or near Dover
they would assuredly seize the issue of the
tunnel and open it, whether by repair or
otherwise. Thus 1t would be rendered avail
able for the enemy, and what should we then
see? Night and day string Of troops and
supplies would be pouring through the tun-
mel possibly under the keels of our victer-
GUS but helpless channel fleet Now in this
case-and | would impress this pOint-it
would no longer be contest between two
armies, but between the entire military re-
sources of France on the one side, and what
we could oppose on the other-and who
could doubt the result if France could bring
all her trained armies, all her vast military
establishments to bear on us? And who
could doubt in the treaty which would ensue,
main article would empower her to hold
our issue of the tunnel and to protect it by
works on the heights Of Dover? And this
thorn in our side-in our vltals-we might
never be rid OF.
prospect would increase the temptation to
invasion. The advocates of the scheme as
sert that increased communication must
bring increased brotherhood and love- Ac-
cording to them the tunnel will be sort of
avenue Of olive branches, beneath which
Frenchmen and Englishmen will be always
embracing and vowing eternal friendship,
like couple of schoolgirls. But / fear we
must put aside the pleasing picture, and sub
stitute the conclusion that we should be ere
dJluBd NEW anu very pOWtTIul incentive,
not to peace, but to invasion.
So far have been assuming that we have
in some way succeeded at first in blocking
our end of the tunnel. But should we be
sure of this? Not to mention the chances
that always exist against doing at a crisis
what must depend on the concurrence Of va
rious circumstances and various persons,
there are other matters which might prevent
it, When the Germans in France had occa-
sion to send on a train with troops in a dis
trict where an ambush might be anticipated
they used to put Mayor or other public
functionary on the engine. This was very
uncomfortable for the Mayor, but very effec-
tual. No trains thus guaranteed was ever
fired upon. Now, L would ask, what would
be the effect, Just as the tunnel was to be
blown up, OF the announcement that some
eminent countrymen Of ours were In the tun-
mel?
And there is another uncomfortable con-
sideratlon to be taken into acc0unt--namely,
the case Of treason in the midst of us. Are
we so free from Observation-Disclosures de-
clsred and jubilant-that we can afford to
disregard it? A gang Of desperadoes such
as we know TO exist and to be the sworn en-
emies Of this country, might seize our end
and hold 1t while the head of the invading
column passed out.
But will not dwell on this danger, which
we can all estimate for ourselves, nor multi
ply considerations which have appeared else
where, nor will enlarge on the extra0rdi-
nary dTSumenL WHICH was n6aru IN to-day 8
debate, that Providence has placed stratum
of chalk under the channel In order that the
member for Hythe should make a tunnel
through it for the benefit of the Southeastern
Railway Company. will only express the
hope that Parliament will never be induced
to sanction this scheme merely for the sake
Of problematical advantage to private specu-
lators for in making this tunnel we should
be creating what would certainly be source
of anxiety to this country, anxiety which
would become acute at every crisis; we
should be creating what we might hereafter
yearn at any price to be rid of we should be
creating what, in the circumstances l have
endeavored to describe. might-nay, would
be of fatal consequence to the people Of